The Big Three

For this third challenge, MTV asked me to share with you three moments in music that impacted my life. Well, lucky you, here they are (oh yeah, and three honorable mentions too. What can I say, I'm indecisive!)....

Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma! (1955)

Fact: I love musicals.

And if you took my quiz, you know that Oklahoma is my favorite musical. Dancing around to this song (and others) in my family room inspired my mother to sign me up for dance class, and the rest is, well (cliche alert!) history. I’ve been dancing ever since- everything from a tap routine to Ball and the Jack, ballet to Send in the Clowns, and hip hop to Sarai's 'Ladies.' My friends even make bets about how many times I’ll say, ‘I did a dance to this!’ on trips. Whatever.... they can laugh all they want. The music we dance to is the music that matters most.

And I’ll never forget that 'Ladies' dance. I still bust it out every now and again...

One Tree Hill

When I had to think of music moments that changed my life, I started thinking of the music I like, and how I came to like it. I quickly realized that most of it comes back to television. Whether it was watching the videos on MTV and VH1 or seeing Brandi Carlile’s ABC promo for Grey’s Anatomy, my love for television is echoed in my musical tastes.

And (I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again... now) there is no show on television that features better music than One Tree Hill.

Say what you will about this show- It’s too soapy! The lead actors left! The lead actors can’t act!- you can’t deny it has great music. From opening with Gavin Degraw’s 'I Don’t Wanna Be' (which, they actually cut from recent seasons) to featuring acts like The Wreckers, Nada Surf, and Jack's Mannequin performing at fictional Tree Hill’s all ages music club, Tric.

One Tree Hill is where I first fell in love with Lupe Fiasco. It’s soundtracks (I have all three) are in constant rotation in my car. In fact, once I was driving one of my music snob friends around and she said, ‘This is a great mix!’

‘Why, thank you,’ I responded. ‘It’s One Tree Hill Volume 2.’

The show may be soapy and ridiculous (a dog ate a dying man’s heart? really?), but you can't argue here- the music is phenomenal.

KSHE 95

Picture this:

Three grown children, smushed into the backseat of their parent’s pick up truck. Their Dad in the front seat, Mom riding shotgun. Dad flips the radio to the classic rock station in Saint Louis...

'KSHE 95'

‘Owwwwww.’

(That was the kids in the backseat, howling in unison. And yes, I’m one of those kids.)

I'm not sure where that howl came from, but I do know that KSHE is one of the oldest continually operating rock stations in the United States, can sometimes be heard from 100 miles away, and well... it rocks. 

I grew up listening to KSHE with my Dad. Howling whenever the DJ announced the station. Uh-huhing every time ZZ Top 'Le Grange' came on. Rambling off ‘Kansas', 'Chicago', and 'Boston' when my Dad made me guess the band, with a hint ‘It’s the name of a place!’

I still may not know all the bands or all the songs (how could you? KSHE plays no repeat weekends for god’s sake!), but it kicked off an appreciation of classic rock in me that will never die.

And 3 Honorable Mentions

Britney Spears’ ‘comeback’ on the VMAs: Imagine one hundred or so girls, crowding into a living room after their weekly sorority meeting, trying to catch a glimpse at the performance that would reinstate their beloved teen idol to icon status. Imagine their disappointment when it turned out to be an epic fail.

Stephen and LC blare Journey from the car: I’m not sure why, out of all the Laguna Beach moments, this one sticks out to me (maybe it is that love of KSHE classic rock?). In my opinion, it was this scene, not Soprano’s, that made Journey’s 'Don’t Stop Believin’' cool again.

Lindbergh High School’s Battle of the Bands 2002: This was the moment I realized I had no talent. Really. All these kids were up there, on stage, playing instruments. I could never do that (trust me, I tried to learn to play guitar once. That lasted about a week.) It was at this Battle of the Bands that my appreciation for live music- of all genres- was born.